Emergency alerts are notifications sent to mobile devices to warn people about imminent threats to safety in their area. In Android, there are different types of emergency alerts that can be received, including:
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Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA): These are public safety messages that allow customers who own compatible mobile devices to receive geographically targeted, text-like messages alerting them of imminent threats to safety in their area. WEA enables government officials to target emergency alerts to specific geographic areas.
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Emergency SOS: This is a feature available on Android 12 and later that allows users to contact emergency services automatically in some countries and regions and with certain carriers. Users can set up Emergency SOS in two ways: to add a confirmation step before an emergency action starts or to start emergency actions automatically after a 5-second countdown.
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Crisis alerts: These are notifications sent to the Safety app about public emergencies or local crises, like natural disasters. Users can opt-in to receive crisis alerts.
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AMBER alerts: These are specific alerts aimed at locating a missing child.
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Extreme threats: These are classified as threats to life and property, such as an impending catastrophic weather event like a hurricane, tornado, or tsunami.
Emergency alerts are enabled by default on Android devices, but users can turn them off if they prefer. To turn off emergency alerts on Android, users can go to the Settings app, tap Sounds & vibration, tap More settings, tap Wireless Emergency Alerts, and toggle off "Allow alerts". However, it is recommended that users keep this feature enabled to receive key updates from relevant authorities during emergencies.
